Romanian burglars sentenced after raiding Peppa Pig creator's £10m Surrey home
Romanian criminals Radu Dogaru and Adrian Alempi broke into Mark Baker's Surrey mansion on Valentine's Day, stealing £65,000 of luxury items and later received prison sentences.
Mark Baker, the creator of Peppa Pig, was victimised on Valentine’s Day when Romanian criminals Radu Dogaru (41) and Adrian Alempi (34) forced their way into his 12,500-sq-ft Surrey mansion via a first-floor window after the couple left at 7 pm. The thieves stole fifteen designer handbags, a Rolex watch, jewellery and other luxury items valued at roughly £65,000 before fleeing, later spotted on CCTV with a Louis Vuitton suitcase at Claygate Station.
Investigators traced the duo to earlier crimes, including a 2012 robbery of masterpieces from Rotterdam’s Kunsthal and a recent safe-break in a Kingston-upon-Thames home. Both men were arrested, and during a hearing at Inner London Crown Court, Judge Joanne Cecil heard how the burglary left Mrs Baker fearful and reluctant to leave the house. Alempi received a five-year prison term, Dogaru four years, and a third gang member, Alexandru Tepelus, was given a suspended sentence and community work. The case highlights the gang’s shift from high-profile art theft to targeting wealthy UK residences.
Why it matters
The case shows how international crime rings target high-net-worth individuals, raising concerns about security for wealthy homeowners.
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